Banjo tailpiece



Julyv 17, 1923- E. O. WlNSHlP ET AL BANJO TAILPIECE Filed March 10 1921 flOid iushi Q cf. Bacon Q Fig 7, m:

Patented July 17, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST OLIVER WINSHIP AND FREDERICK J. BACON, OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

BANJO TAILPIECE.

Application filed March 10, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNEsr O. VVINSHIP and FREDERroK J. BACON, citizens of the United States, residing at New London, in

the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjo Tailpieces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in tail pieces for stringed instruments and more particularly to an improved banjo tail piece.

We have found that if pressure is exerted against the strings of a musical instrument such as a banjo at a point rearwardly of the bridge, the tone will be improved in quality and greatly increased in volume, and therefore it is one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide a tail piece for an instrument of this kind embodying means for exerting pressure against the strings at the point stated.

We have also found, however, that if pressure is evenly applied to the full complement of strings, or in other words if the strings at the bass side of the instrument are acted upon with the same degree of pressure as the strings at the treble side, the bridge at the bass side is liable to be depressed to such an extent that the bass strings, when fretted, will be liable to vibrate against the lower frets of the instrument causing a discordant sound, and therefore it is another object of the present invention to so construct the means which we have provided for exerting pressure upon the strings, that the pressure will be exerted in decreasing degree from the treble side to the bass side of the complement, or in other words, the pressure exerted upon the bass strings will not be quite so great as that exerted upon the treble strings so that the disadvantage above referred to will be effectually overcome.

A further object of the invention is to so construct and mount the attaching member of the tail piece that the tail piece will be firmly held against tilting up at its forward portion and so that full benefit will be de rived from the string depressing means provided in connection with the tail piece.

Serial No. 451,114.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tail piece embodying the invention applied to a banjo which latter is shown in section;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tail piece;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation thereof;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a slight modification of the in vention.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in general the rim of a banjo of ordinary construction. 2 the usual calf skin diaphragm, and 3 the clamping ring therefor. This rim also includes in its structure the usual end pin 4: having a head 5 formed with a vertically extending opening 6, the purpose of which will be presently explained. The bridge of the instrument is indicated by the numeral 7 and the strings which are drawn over the bridge are indicated by the numeral 8.

The tail piece embodying the invention, and which is indicated in general by the numeral 9, comprises an attaching member 10 which may be formed from heavy sheet metal and which includes an open sided rectangular frame portion including a top 11,

a back 12, and a lower portion 13. The top 11 of the frame of the attaching member is provided with an upstanding leaf 1 1 having its upper portion turned to extend downwardly and forwardly at a. suitable angle of inclination as indicated by the numeral 15. The lower portion 13 of the body of the attaching member is provided with a downwardly extending tongue 16 which is forked, as at 17, so to straddle the pin 4 and which is confined between the head of the pin and the adjacent side of the rim of the instrument and being forked provides for vertical adjustment of the tail piece. The leaf 141 of the tail piece rests against the outer side of the ring 3, and the tongue 16 rests against the outer side of the rim 1. A threaded stem 18 is fitted through openings in the portions 11 and 13 of the attaching member of the tail piece and extends downwardly through the opening 6 in the end of the pin 4: and has applied to its lower end an adjusting nut 19 which may be turned for the purpose of drawing the attaching member downwardly to properly adjust the tail piece.

The leaf 14 is provided upon its rear side with asuitable number of studs 20 which are slotted as at 21 for the engagement therewith of the ends of the strings 8, these strings being led beneath the pressure-er; erting means which will presently be described and over the upper side of the member 15. The pressure-exerting means is in dicated in general by the numeral 22 and the same preferably comprises a frame including sides 23 and 2a and a portion 25 which connects the forward ends of the sides 28 and 2e and constitutes a presser bar. The sides of the frame may be converged in the direction of their rear ends as illustrated in Figure 2 and their rear end portions are disposed beneath the member 15 and riveted or otherwise secured to the leaf l t, the connection of the frame with the attaching member of the tail piece being in this inanner securely braced. By reference to Figure 2 it will be observed that the presser member 25 extends diagonally between the sides 23 and 2e and, when the tail piece is in position, at an angle with relation to the bridge 7, the side 24 of the member being of less length than the side The frame 22 is preferably formed from spring steel wire and while, by adjustment of the tail piece it may be caused to exert considerable pressure upon the strings, the presser member 25 will. not cut through the strings or in any way weaken or injure the same because of its rounded contour. By reference to Figure 1 it will be observed that as before stated the strings 8 pass from the bridge 7 beneath the presser bar 25 and over the member 15 and are attached t their rear ends to the studs 20 and thus the presser member is causec. to exert pressure against the strings at a point rearwardly of the bridge 7. However, due to the diagonal disposition of the bar 25 it will exert lighter pressure against the strings at the side of the complement than agains the strings at the treble side and therefore there will be no likelihood of the end of the bridge at the bass side being depressed to such an extent as to cause a discordant sound when the bass strings are fretted.

The form of the tail piece which is provided with the diagonal presser bar 25 is designed primarily for employment in connection with a tenor banjo and a banjomandolin where the bass strings exert greater pressure than in the regular fivestring banjo, and in connection with this latter type of instrument the tail piece may be modified as illustrated in Figure in which figure the numeral 25 indicates the presser bar and which bar extends directly transversely of the side members of the frame 2 instead of diagonally.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

i. The combination with astringed musical i rument having the usual complcment or bass and treble strings and the usual ri ge over which the strings are stretched, of means exertin inward pressure against the strings reari rdly of the said bridge and in decreasing degree from the treble to the bass side of the complement.

2. The combination with a stringed musical in trument having the usual complement of strings and the usual bridge over which the strings are drawn, of means extending non-parallel to the ridge of the bridge for exerting pressure in an inward direction against the strings.

3. A tail piece for stringed musical instruments, and means carried thereby for exerting pressure upon the strings in an inward direction in decreasing a relatively .ixed degree from the treble side to the bass side.

i tail piece for stringed musical instrunients having a fixed diagonally disposed presser bar for engagement with the strings.

5. A. tail piece for stringed musical instruments comprising an attaching member, and presser member carried thereby and including-side portions and a connecting presser bar extending between the portions on a diagonal line.

6. A- tail piece for stringed musical instruments comprising an attaching member, and a presser member carried thereby and comprising a frame including side menibers of unequal length and a presser bar connect lg the outer ends of thesaid members on extending diagonally thereof.

1'. i"; tail piece for stringed musical instruments including an attaching member having connected spaced upper and lower portions,ineans carried l y the upper portion for the attachme t of the strings, and a tongue carried by the lower portion and having a longitudinal opening to receive the end pin of the instrument. the said upper and lower portions having alined openings to receive an element of an adjusting means for the .1 piece.

-k tail piece for stringed musical instruments comprising an attaching member, and means rigidly associated therewith and embodying a diagonally disposed rigidly supported presser bar for engagement with the strings of the instrument.

9. A. tail piece for stringed musical instruments comprising an attaching member having spaced upper and lower portions and connecting portion, the lower portion beprovided with a. depending attaching tongue, securing element for engagement through the tongue and designed to enter the body of the instrument to secure the member in place, the said securing element having an opening therethrough, a threaded stein fitted freely through the upper and lower spaced portions of the attaching memher and through the opening in the securing element, a nut threaded on to the lower end of the stem, the upper end of the stern having a head bearing against the upper one 10 of said spaced portions of the attaching JEmbGl, and e string engaging presser incirber fixed with relation to the said upper portion of the attaching member.

In testimony whereof We zifliX our signa- 1 tures.

ERNEST OLWER WINSHIP. [L. s.] FREDERICK J. BACON. [n s.] 

